More than that, more than just having no previous convictions, you were of positive good character and worked as a professional person. By this offending you have thrown all that away.' Judge Anil Murray told Ewan: 'You were of previous good character.
The effect on his children in particular has been devastating.' He said: 'The home was vandalised, bricks were thrown through the window, paint was thrown at the front door and people congregated outside, behaving in an intimidating way. Mr Lennon said when Ewan's crimes first became public knowledge, it had a 'catastrophic effect' on the family, who then lived in Netherton. His wife has left him, the marriage is over and his four children have been taken away from him.' The lawyer said: 'He understands how it's not only affected him, but people who are very important to him, his wife and children. Mr Lennon said if Ewan was spared jail, he could receive 'the assistance he perhaps now belatedly recognises that he needs'. He said at the time of the offending his client had been off work due to 'stress' and his interest in adult porn progressed to viewing child sex abuse images. Mr Lennon said Ewan was married for 19 years with four children, but developed an interest in adult porn, which the dad described as 'thrill seeking'. 'He also accepts at the time there was a sexual interest in children and the notes indicate, being pressed, accepts it remains.'
In a pre-sentence report Ewan claimed he did not intentionally download the images or do it for sexual gratification but later admitted that was not true.ĭesmond Lennon, defending, said: 'He unreservedly accepts deliberately downloading this material. Mr Hopkins said: 'So of their type, they are particularly serious images in the Crown's submission.' The police also found 219 Category B images, including two videos, 130 Category C images, one pseudo (cartoon) image of abuse and 21 extreme pornographic images.Įvans, pictured with face mask and hood, was handed a suspended prison sentence at Liverpool Crown Court in SeptemberĬhristopher Hopkins, prosecuting in court, said during the sentencing hearing that one Category A image showed a female baby aged six to 12 months and one Category A video, around 24 minutes long, featured children aged eight, seven and four. Officers seized various devices, which were later found to contain 137 Category A images, including 10 videos.Ĭategory A images are classed as depicting the most extreme forms of abuse under sentencing law and involve children being raped. The panel heard that Ewan, who had worked at Aintree since 2013, was referred to the NMC by both Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Merseyside Police.īack in September, the court heard Merseyside Police officers knocked on the door of Ewan's home on June 22, 2020, after receiving a tip-off about 'suspicious activity' relating to a Sky broadband account and messaging app Kik Messenger. 'The panel therefore determined that Mr Ewan is liable to place patients at a risk of harm in the future, that his conviction, for such serious and morally culpable offences, has brought the nursing profession into disrepute and breached fundamental tenets of the profession.'
'It is therefore not guaranteed that a member of the public in Mr Ewan's care would be safe, or indeed, feel safe, in his care. Offences involving indecent images of children exploit children and amount to an abuse of children. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which regulates the register of nurses able to practise in the UK, published a judgment from a disciplinary hearing which concluded Ewan would remain a potential risk to patients if he was not struck off.Īn independent panel concluded: 'Children suffer harm as a result of indecent images being made, possessed and distributed. The former Aintree Hospital nurse has also now been officially prohibited from practising nursing in the UK. His defence lawyer told the court Ewan's interest in adult porn was in the 45-year-old's words 'thrill seeking' and progressed to viewing child sex abuse images.Įwan's computer had 137 Category A images, including 10 videos which are seen as the most extreme forms of abuse and involve children being raped.Īlong with the suspended sentence he was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years. His innocent wife and children were forced to flee the family home in Netherton, Merseyside after it was targeted by vigilantes who vandalised it.Įwan's wife has since left him and he has 'lost' his children, a court heard.
A paedophile nurse who downloaded baby rape images was struck off but the married father-of-four has avoided jail.Ĭhristopher Ewan, 45, who used to work in A&E, downloaded more than 100 child rape files, plus extreme porn images showing bestiality.